S. Korea, UAE to launch high-level security dialogue this week

SEOUL, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will hold the inaugural meeting of their senior diplomats and defense officials in Seoul this week, Seoul's defense ministry said Thursday.

The "two plus two" dialogue will occur on Friday, in line with the March summit agreement between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan to establish a vice ministerial communication platform.

The talks will be attended by Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk and Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Yoon Soon-gu, along with their UAE counterparts, Matar Salim Al-Dhaheri, under-secretary of defense, and Khalifa Shaheen Al-Marar, assistant minister for political affairs.

"The upcoming meeting is expected to serve as an opportunity to check the direction of the South Korea-UAE special strategic partnership and reaffirm the countries' close cooperation in not only economic areas, but also diplomatic and security matters," the ministry said in a press release.

The two sides plan to discuss security situations on the Korean Peninsula and in the Middle East, cooperation in promoting regional peace and efforts to deepen their partnership on the global stage, the ministry said.

S. Korea, UAE to launch high-level security dialogue this week

SEOUL, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will hold the inaugural meeting of their senior diplomats and defense officials in Seoul this week, Seoul's defense ministry said Thursday.

The "two plus two" dialogue will occur on Friday, in line with the March summit agreement between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan to establish a vice ministerial communication platform.

The talks will be attended by Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk and Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Yoon Soon-gu, along with their UAE counterparts, Matar Salim Al-Dhaheri, under-secretary of defense, and Khalifa Shaheen Al-Marar, assistant minister for political affairs.

"The upcoming meeting is expected to serve as an opportunity to check the direction of the South Korea-UAE special strategic partnership and reaffirm the countries' close cooperation in not only economic areas, but also diplomatic and security matters," the ministry said in a press release.

The two sides plan to discuss security situations on the Korean Peninsula and in the Middle East, cooperation in promoting regional peace and efforts to deepen their partnership on the global stage, the ministry said.